In an instant, a searing pain so intense that it felt like his vision was flickering burst out of Lukeâs mouth in a scream filled with agony.
As the strength drained from his body and he slumped, Luke saw a red flame burst from Scarlettâs body, and then it was quickly sucked away somewhere.
Satoru, looking at this with a smile of enjoyment, touched Lukeâs head and said,
âLuke, can you see it? Every time you scream, the flames grow stronger, showing that No. 10 is getting angrier. It seems this method is much better than directly causing pain. But itâs still not enough. You know, she can produce flames strong enough to burn down the entire lab, right? At the very least, you should show me that much.â
Hearing Satoruâs words, Luke looked at Scarlett.
Flames that seemed much stronger were continuously rising from her body.
As Satoru said, the intensity of the flames increased with her anger.
If that was the case, when her emotions were even more intense, her power might go out of control just like when the lab was burned down.
Luke recalled the look in Scarlettâs eyes on the day the lab burned, when she was engulfed in flames.
The look that was pleading for help.
She seemed to be suffering from her uncontrollable power.
He couldnât let her go through that pain again.
Without Satoru noticing, Luke slowly mouthed the words to reassure her.
âDonât, worry, itâs, okay.â
Scarlettâs eyes flickered, and she bit her lip tightly, indicating that she understood.
Iâm really okay, so donât get so angry.
He wanted to tell her that, but it was hard for her to control her anger. Just then, he saw Satoru bring a rod that seemed to emit an electric current closer to his body.
â-!! -!â
Despite the terrible pain, Luke clenched his teeth and suppressed the sound that was trying to escape his mouth.
Satoru, seeing this, scratched his neck and shouted in dissatisfaction.
âYou shouldnât hold back when youâre in pain! You should scream louder to help No. 10, whom you cherish so much, gain more power!â
Luke observed Satoru, who was shouting.
He didnât look like the person he used to know.
Even though he was a man filled with a sense of superiority, he never would have done something like this.
If things continued like this, both of them would inevitably end up in a dire situation. Luke tried to think of a way to prevent Satoru from hurting Scarlett and spoke.
â...Satoru, last time you said the family told you to stop the plan. So, thereâs no more support from the family, right? Bringing us here to continue the experiment was your own decision, wasnât it?â
Satoruâs expression twisted, even though he didnât answer, and Luke could guess what was going on.
Luke smirked, aiming to provoke him.
â...If Scarlett dies, youâll be considered a failure.â
Satoruâs expression twisted, as if Luke had hit a nerve.
Although he had been punished, Luke was now certain.
Satoru was torturing him in front of Scarlett to provoke her anger, but he couldnât perform experiments that would harm her body as he used to.
Without the familyâs support, he couldnât create another test subject.
If he did something to Scarlett and she died because Luke refused to treat her, it would be the end.
Of course, if she were to die, Luke couldnât just let her go untreated, but Satoru, unsure of this, would have no choice but to target Luke instead.
In other words, as long as Luke held out, Scarlett would be safe.
Luke glanced at Scarlett.
Her lips were bleeding from how hard she had bitten them, and the anger that was building up in her was evident.
Even when she had endured much worse pain in the past, she hadnât shown such a significant change in expression.
She was a kind girl who could get so angry at someone elseâs pain.
The pain she must have endured in the past, due to their actions, was undoubtedly far worse than this.
For her sake, he could endure this pain.
It was the least he could do to atone.
Luke steeled his resolve.
He mouthed "itâs okay" to Scarlett and continued to endure the torture.
*
Perhaps because of the experience he had gained from previous experiments, or because Satoru was carefully controlling the intensity of the torture to avoid endangering his life, Luke managed to endure it.
The intensity of the flames didnât seem to increase as noticeably as before.
Satoru was displeased with this.
âLuke, you keep holding back, so thereâs no progress. If this continues, Iâll have to use something Iâve been saving.â
Muttering to himself, Satoru took out a vial from somewhere and scratched his neck.
He drew a small amount of the contents with a syringe-like device and waved it in front of Luke, who was tied to the chair and struggling.
Luke inhaled sharply when he saw the ominous black aura swirling inside the vial.
It was a dangerous substance that shouldnât be in a place like this.
âI managed to get this with great difficulty, thinking it might help bring out the witchâs power. As a doctor, you must know what this is. Since youâre not doing your job, I have no choice but to use this.â
Luke shuddered, having seen people die from this substance before.
Malignant energy.
It was a dangerous force that could give birth to demons, but at this concentration, it was a highly lethal poison in itself.
Even the amount in the syringe was enough to kill a person.
Despite knowing the danger, Satoru aimed the syringe at Scarlett.
âWhat do you plan to do with that...â
âInitially, I thought about using it on you, but the witchâs power and malignant energy... Donât they seem like a fitting combination? Using this will surely yield results after a long wait. My researcherâs intuition tells me this will succeed. I should have tried this first. Then you could have seen the planâs completion with a healthy body.â
âIf Scarlett dies, the plan is over! Satoru, youâll be a failure for life!â
Desperate to stop him, Luke shouted, knowing that Satoru, a perfectionist with obsessive-compulsive disorder, would be affected by such words.
However, seeing Satoru, who was scratching his neck and grinning twistedly, Luke felt despair.
The white gloves he always wore, now stained red with blood, and his eyes glowing with a sinister light, showed no trace of reason.
âI wonât fail! Just take a nap. When you wake up, youâll see the completed result!â
As the sleeping gas spread, Luke felt his consciousness fading.
Desperately, he pleaded as Satoru approached Scarlettâs limp neck with the syringe.
Please, someone, stop him.
At that moment,
âTake your hands off my friend right now!â
Beyond the blurring vision,
a starlight sparkled.
*
Following Yoon Siwooâs guidance, they arrived at a secluded building after running a considerable distance through several gates.
âNo oneâs here!â
âItâs underground!â
Yoon Siwoo, who had sliced through the closed door in one stroke, pointed downward as soon as he entered the seemingly empty building.
Sylvia immediately prepared a spell and fired it at the floor.
-Alf Ad Astra-!!
A large hole was blasted in the floor, and the thick smoke below rose due to the impact.
Realizing it wasnât ordinary smoke, Yoon Siwoo, who had already switched to the Sword of Protection, created a barrier to block it and jumped down with Sylvia.
Using a spell, Sylvia dispersed the dusty, smoky air in the basement.
Beyond it, they saw a middle-aged man tied to a chair, who appeared to have been tortured.
And Scarlett, hanging limply in a cell, with a man in a gas mask about to inject a syringe into her neck.
Sylvia didnât know what was in the syringe, but if it was dangerous, the situation was critical.
âTake your hands off my friend right now!â
Sylvia shouted loudly, and the man in the gas mask stopped.
âOh... Miss Sylvia, isnât it? This is quite a predicament.â
Hearing the voice calling her, Sylvia was taken aback and observed the manâs appearance.
The silver hair slightly spilling out from under the gas mask, the gloves on his hands, and the slightly distorted but familiar voice.
She hesitated, but all the signs pointed to someone she knew, and she asked in a trembling voice.
â...Uncle Satoru?â
âYes, itâs me, Miss.â
The man, answering her question, removed the gas mask.
Seeing the familiar face revealed, Sylvia couldnât close her mouth.
âDo you know him?â
Yoon Siwoo, who had been about to attack, slightly restrained himself and asked.
Shocked that the person who had kidnapped her friend was a family member, Sylvia nodded with difficulty and asked, biting her lip.
â...Why did you kidnap my friend?â
Satoru laughed and answered.
âYour friend? Oh, this one?â
Pointing to her most precious friend.
âYou didnât know, did you? This isnât someone you should be friends with.â
And his answer was,
âSheâs a weapon created by Astra using a piece of the